Agua Negra Pass
| Paso de Agua Negra | |
|---|---|
|
Signs marking the border between Argentina and Chile at the top of Paso de Agua Negra. | |
| Elevation | 4,780 m (15,682 ft) |
| Location | Argentina–Chile border |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | 30°11′32″S 69°49′06″W / 30.192222°S 69.818333°WCoordinates: 30°11′32″S 69°49′06″W / 30.192222°S 69.818333°W |
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The Agua Negra Pass (Spanish: Paso de Agua Negra) is a pass over the Andes mountains which connects Argentina and Chile. The highest point of this pass is at 4,780 m (15,680 ft) AMSL.[1]
Agua Negra Tunnel
To improve trade between Chile and Argentina, a 14 km, three-bore vehicular tunnel (two for traffic and one for ventilation[2]) below the pass is planned, which will allow year-round traffic.[3][4] (The pass is closed for much of the winter.)
In March 2015, Argentina officially approved the project.[5] It is awaiting ratification from Chile.
Also planned for the deepest part of the tunnel is the Agua Negra Deep Experiment Site (ANDES):[2] an underground laboratory. Because all currently operating deep underground laboratories are located in the Northern Hemisphere, a Southern Hemisphere site would have some unique benefits:
- Combined with existing neutrino detectors, a longer baseline would allow more accurate localization of sources in neutrino astronomy, and
- When searching for dark matter, there is expected to be a seasonal variation due to the Earth's motion around the Sun. But such a signal could also be an error, caused by some subtle seasonal effect. Confirmation from a location with opposite seasons would rule out such an error.
Gallery
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Paso de Agua Negra, Argentine side
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Paso de Agua Negra, Chilean side
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Penitentes near the summit
See also
Elqui Province, Chile
San Juan Province, Argentina
References
- ↑ "PASO INTERNACIONAL "SAN FRANCISCO"". gendarmeria.gob.ar. Gendarmeria Nacional Argentina. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- 1 2 "The ANDES laboratory: Proposed laboratory design". Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ↑ Kenyon, Peter (December 2011). "Andes link a priority for Chile-Argentina-Brazil". TunnelTalk. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ↑ "Agua Negra Tunnel". Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ↑ "Argentina Approved Construction of Tunnel Agua Negra to Join Chile". Latin American Association of Ports and Terminals. March 23, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-25.